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The Distribution, Population Status, and Wildlife Product Trade of Himalayan Musk Deer in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

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The Distribution, Population Status, and Wildlife Product Trade of Himalayan Musk Deer in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Journal of Bioresource Management Volume 2 Issue 3 Article 5 The Distribution, Population Status, and Wildlife Product Trade of Himalayan Musk Deer in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Fakhar -i- Abbas Bioresource Research Centre, Isalamabad, Pakistan, [email protected] Thomas P. Rooney Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, [email protected] Afsar Mian Institute of Natural and Management Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Zahid Iqbal Bhatti Punjab Wildlife Department, Lahore, Pakistan Jibran Haider Gilgit Baltistan Forest Department, Gilgit, Pakistan Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/jbm Part of the Biodiversity Commons, and the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Abbas, F. -., Rooney, T. P., Mian, A., Bhatti, Z. I., & Haider, J. (2015). The Distribution, Population Status, and Wildlife Product Trade of Himalayan Musk Deer in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, Journal of Bioresource Management, 2 (3). DOI: 10.35691/JBM.5102.0030 ISSN: 2309-3854 online This Article is brought to you for free and open access by CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Bioresource Management by an authorized editor of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Distribution, Population Status, and Wildlife Product Trade of Himalayan Musk Deer in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan © Copyrights of all the papers published in Journal of Bioresource Management are with its publisher, Center for Bioresource Research (CBR) Islamabad, Pakistan. This permits anyone to copy, redistribute, remix, transmit and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes provided the original work and source is appropriately cited. Journal of Bioresource Management does not grant you any other rights in relation to this website or the material on this website. In other words, all other rights are reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, you must not adapt, edit, change, transform, publish, republish, distribute, redistribute, broadcast, rebroadcast or show or play in public this website or the material on this website (in any form or media) without appropriately and conspicuously citing the original work and source or Journal of Bioresource Management’s prior written permission. This article is available in Journal of Bioresource Management: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/jbm/vol2/ iss3/5 Fakhar-i-Abbas et al.,: Moschus chrysogaste leucogaster in Pakistan J. Bioresource Manage. (2015) 2(3): 38-47. THE DISTRIBUTION, POPULATION STATUS, AND WILDLIFE PRODUCT TRADE OF HIMALAYAN MUSK DEER IN GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN Fakhar-i-Abbas1, Thomas P. Rooney2 Afsar Mian3, Zahid Iqbal Bhatti4, Jibran Haider5 1Bioresource Research Centre, 34 Bazar Road G-6/4 Islamabad Pakistan 44400. 2Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Dayton OH 45435 USA. 3Institute of Natural and Management Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. 4Punjab Wildlife Department, Lahore, Pakistan. 5Gilgit Baltistan forest Department, Gilgit, Pakistan. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Himalayan musk deer (Moschus chrysogaste leucogaster) is an IUCN Red List Endangered species that reaches its western range limit in Pakistan, although its distribution or population size is unknown. Here, we mapped its distribution, described habitat preferences, estimated population sizes, recruitment and mortality, and reported the market values of musk deer wildlife products. We used two approaches: analyzing local wisdom (traditional ecological knowledge) through the use of questionnaires, and conducting confirmatory field surveys of selected areas. Questionnaire respondents indicated musk deer sightings in 28 of 84 localities; mainly in Himalayan dry temperate forests with >20% forest cover. There were an estimated 224-363individuals. When females were observed with offspring, there were often two fawns present, suggesting twinning. Hunting appears largely opportunistic, with approximately 20% of the population killed each year. Musk, skins and canine teeth are sold in markets. Future threats include future human population growth, growing awareness about musk deer product values and political instability. Keywords: Density, population size, overexploitation, habitat, musk pods, wildlife trade, poaching, traditional ecological knowledge. INTRODUCTION 1986; Roberts, 1997; Timmins and Duckworth, 2008). There are Himalayan musk deer indications of a decline in musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster Hodgson populations throughout its geographic subsp. leucogaster, Artiodactyla: range. The musk pod, present in males Moschidae) is a small (10 kg), stocky at rut, is harvested for extraction of built, primitive deer-like ruminant. musk use in the perfume and medicine Males lack antlers, and females have a industries (Homes, 1999). Musk deer is single pair of teats. It possesses well- considered Endangered by the IUCN developed canine teeth. Musk deer (Timmins and Duckworth, 2008) and once persisted in sizeable populations, is listed on CITES Appendix I. Musk inhabiting scrub at 2,100-4,000 m pods are illegally sold in the wildlife above sea level (asl) in Himalayas trade (Khan et al., 2006). Japan, for from Chitral through Gilgit, Baltistan, example, imported 170 kg of musk per Indus Kohistan, western China and year, mainly of the Himalayan origin Kashmir up to Tibet (Scully, 1881; (Green, 1986). The price of musk Stockly, 1928; Groves, 1975; Green, exceeds that of an equal weight of gold 38 Fakhar-i-Abbas et al.,: Moschus chrysogaste leucogaster in Pakistan J. Bioresource Manage. (2015) 2(3): 38-47. (Khan et al., 2006). An IUCN- describing musk deer habitat sponsored workshop of wildlife preferences, c) estimating present researchers, naturalists and wildlife population size, d) estimating present technicians ascribed the Critically recruitment and mortality, and e) Endangered status to musk deer in reporting the market value of musk Pakistan, noting that there is no deer parts. We used two approaches: reliable information on its distribution analyzing local wisdom (traditional or population levels (Sheikh and ecological knowledge) through the use Molur, 2004). In this study, we of questionnaires; and conducting estimate musk deer population size, confirmatory field surveys of selected distribution and threats in Gilgit- tracts. Baltistan (GB). MATERIAL AND METHODS There are few population studies on this species in Pakistan. Study Area Schaller (1980) recorded the Raja of Gupus recalling that musk deer was GB (71-75oN; 32-37oE; 70,332 present in all ravines south of the km2, 1,000-8,000 m asl) consists of Gilgit River until 1947. Roberts (1997) towering snow-covered mountains, reported musk deer from Astor deep gorges and narrow valleys. The (Gilgit), Hushe and Drosh (Baltistan), fast running streams ultimately drain while Rasool (1998) suggested a much into the River Indus (Figure 1). The wider distribution of musk deer in GB. Karakorum, Hindu Kush and Himalaya Population estimates in areas adjacent ranges knot in the centre of GB and to GB suggested 120 musk deer in diverge in different directions. The 2002 for Neelum valley (Azad Jammu Karakorum and Hindu Kush have and Kashmir, Pakistan, AJK), with the northwestern and southwestern largest population of 22 animals in orientations, respectively. The east- Machiara National Park (Qureshi et al., west oriented Himalayas occupy 2004). Later estimates suggested 64 southern parts of GB. The Himalayas musk deer in the Machiara National receive more liberal precipitation Park (Qamar et al., 2008). A small during the summer and winter population was reported for Palas monsoon (mean annual precipitation = valley of Indus Kohistan (Kyber 180 cm). They are therefore greener, Pukhtunkhwa, KPK), where though no supporting Himalayan dry temperate animals was sighted, yet musk deer mountain forest, sub-alpine and alpine presence was confirmed from indirect forest (Champion et al., 1965). signs (Khalid et al., 1993). Northern parts (Karakorum and Hindu Kush) have scanty summer rains, We surveyed the most thinner vegetation and greater wind inaccessible ridges at upper limits of and water erosion. Climatically, GB tree line (Roberts, 1997), believing that falls in temperate zone. Winter large areas of steep mountain tracts, temperatures remain below freezing with favourable musk deer habitat and for most of the year. The human limited human population, may still population (0.7 million) is hold viable populations of musk deer concentrated in major towns along despite increasing hunting pressure. streams. Small human settlements, Our specific objectives include: a) groups of family houses and nomadic mapping its present distribution, b) camps are scattered throughout GB. 39 Fakhar-i-Abbas et al.,: Moschus chrysogaste leucogaster in Pakistan J. Bioresource Manage. (2015) 2(3): 38-47. 3-5 trained field assistants walked independently through suitable musk deer habitat using available shepherd walkways, generally following the musk deer survey methodology of Qamar et al. (2008). Surveys were carried out at dawn (one hour before and two hours after sunrise) and dusk (two hours before and one hour after sunset) to match the crepuscular habit of musk deer. Field assistants were Figure 1: Location of GB and spaced 500 m from one another. They tentative location of different study counted the number of musk deer localities used for questionnaire flushed during the survey. They also analysis. recorded musk deer signs in the form of recent communal latrines, footprints
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